The seating area at one edge of the garden from which there is a wonderful view along the valley towards Papine. - Photos by Mel Cooke

THE FRONT door to the house once owned by the Coverleys, Eric and Louise (the latter known more popularly as 'Miss Lou'), moves easily on its hinges, yet shows evidence of heft matching its size.

Using the leonine door knocker is optional; taking a glance at the frowning and smiling faces on either side of the door is advised.

That wooden door swings open to a wide room with doors at the left and right ends, a fireplace directly across from the entrance.

The room proclaims its historical value in dark wood, the distinctive furniture arranged with a deliberate aversion to overcrowding.

old and new

Janet Mignott, who now owns the property in the hills of Gordon Town, St Andrew, explains to The Sunday Gleaner that there is a blend of the Coverleys' furniture and hers in the house - inside and out.

The patio furniture is all the Coverleys and she explains the origins of unusual white seats.

They come from Jamaica Omnibus Service (JOS) units that plied Corporate Area routes up to the early 1980s.

"Mr 'Chalk Talk' Coverley had a habit of converting things," Mignott said.

Mignott bought a lot of pieces from Miss Lou, including the dining table in that wide front room. Initially, Mignott did not quite understand when Miss Lou said that one sofa was her mother's bed; then it was explained that it was where her mother always fell asleep.

Those doorways at either end of the main room lead to Eric and Louise's separate bedrooms, Eric on the right and Louise on the left.

'Chalk Talk's' door is decorated with insignia and Mignott explains, "Mr Coverley's room is like he left it. We changed it around, but when she (Miss Lou) came, we changed it around for her and have left it (that way)."

The bed and desk are both Eric Coverley's and there is a picture of him doing his 'Chalk Talk' presentation. The morning sun glows through the window at which Mignott, when she was outside early in the day, would see him standing, imbibing the atmosphere.

Another room that has been left as it is is Miss Lou's bathroom, "including the bath stool," Mignott says, "which is strong, as you can imagine."

Miss Lou's domain

The kitchen is Miss Lou's domain, including the table, and there are cutting boards that she once used. Mignott smiles as she says she still refers to Miss Lou's cookbook, a copy of the one her mother had, except that Mignott's mother had one with a yellow cover while Miss Lou's is green.

"Her stuff is interspersed with my grandmother's pieces, my pieces," Mignott told The Sunday Gleaner.

The house is not entirely original as was built in the 1940s. A flat was added for Mr Coverley's mother. Interestingly, a passageway between the two is covered but has no side wall, making for a brief walk open to fresh air.

Down the few steps from the patio, the lawn and garden are well kept. Mignott said a concrete seating area to one side which provides a wonderful view down the valley was a favourite of Miss Lou's.

The house itself has solid shutters matching the door, the verdant hill rising directly behind the building.

There is no house behind or in sight directly in front. The sounds of traversing humanity from the road well below do not intrude but the river is audible, making for a tranquil setting.

"I came up here first to rent a flat she had," Mignott said, going on to explain a connection that developed well beyond the exchange of money for accommodation.

"I think she is still here," Mignott said.

The view of the main room and Miss Lou's bedroom from Eric 'Chalk Talk' Coverley's former bedroom door.

A picture of Eric and Louise Bennett-Coverley holds pride of place over the fireplace.

Eric 'Chalk Talk' Coverley would get up from this bed and stand before the open window to take in the morning air and sunshine.

Looking over the Coverleys former dining table, Eric 'Chalk Talk' Coverley's bedroom is in the background.